


Thaw Me Before It’s Too Late (Frozen)

by goblette



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Based on a song, Celebrations, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Flowers, Frottage, Gardens & Gardening, Historical Inaccuracy, Hurt/Comfort, I don’t know european history sorry, M/M, Maybe not that Mild, Middle Ages, Mild Sexual Content, Mutual Masturbation, Nobility, Renaissance Era, The Author Regrets Nothing, Weird Plot Shit, Winter Solstice, barbie-like type of world, nothing makes sense, they have colored hair, what is worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:27:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28343874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goblette/pseuds/goblette
Summary: Mingi is a humble but talented gardener whose heart has been broken, and Yunho is a prince who’s bright as the sun.Yunho hires Mingi to help him bloom a special winter flower, but it might not be only thing blooming in between the prince and the gardener.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 60





	Thaw Me Before It’s Too Late (Frozen)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jonghhho](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jonghhho/gifts).



> First of all, Merry Christmas, Binnie! I hope you have been having a happy holidays.  
> I don’t promise a lot since it’s hard for me writing about couples without Jongho but since you love Yungi I tried my best and I enjoyed making this gift, so I hope you like it too.

֍ ֍ ֍

Mingi holds one fragile leaf in between his fingertips, it’s soft and cold, and he can’t help but sigh at the beauty of the whole green being. His breathing makes a hot cloud in front of his lips as his eyes stop over the sweet buds, they’re nearly translucent, pure white and maybe they have a spark of blue. Surrounded by the dark, nearly purplish, green leaves and stem, they seem like painted crystals, catching those last rays of sun and reflecting them inside.

He hears steps behind him, long and elegant, not too fast, not too slow. It’s been just three months since he arrived there, but somehow the noise of those fancy, thick shoes against the sparkled ground has become so familiar to him, and brings with it a strange feeling of comfort he can’t comprehend yet. Mingi takes his time to pull his hand out of the plant, being careful of not being rough with it, before he stands up. He turns around in his spot, barely lifting his chin before he finds the nobleman’s eyes.

“Good afternoon, Mingi.” 

“Good afternoon, Your Highness.” he answers right away, slightly bowing down.

There’s a small laugh, and Mingi straightens his back again as he listens to the man in front of him. “You know you don’t have to do that, correct? I appreciate the formalities yet they’re not necessary when we are all by ourselves.”

“Yes. Thanks, Yunho.”

His voice is calm, and he tries to remind himself how the taller man asked him to treat him as equal. Mingi is still not used to call someone like Yunho by his name, it’s not only the fact that he is an important prince and Mingi is just a gardener who was called for doing a specific job in Yunho’s castle, it’s the height and temperance, his broad shoulders and gentle gaze, and the aura of greatness that Yunho radiates from the top of his peach-haired head to the bottom of his toes.

Mingi lifts his hand, attempting to scratch his neck in a way to avoid the nobleman’s attention, but when he’s about to reach his skin, he feels a tender yet strong grip around his wrist. Yunho gently pulls his hand and brings it towards him.

“There is frost covering your fingers.” the prince talks sweetly. “They must be so cold.”

The gardener can feel how the blood rushes to his cheeks when Yunho brings the younger’s hands together and surrounds them with his own hands, and maybe Mingi is grateful they’re clothed by white silk gloves, so the nobleman doesn’t have to feel the coldness on his neglected and bruised fingers. The prince caresses them gently, even when Mingi has told him he can barely feel the pain in them, he’s still careful. And then, Mingi stares at his smile, warm and tender as the sun at dawn, and hears a small crack. There, just into his ribcage.

“The sun is coming down, let’s go inside.”

Yunho talks with an easiness and a humble eagerness Mingi has never heard from any other person of his status. But of course it’s not like he knows many noblemen his age.

“A letter from Seonghwa arrived today, he’s coming to the Winter Ball accompanied by one of his lords.” Yunho keeps talking. “Seonghwa is a marquis, I must highlight since I haven’t talked about him a lot. But he’s a dear friend of mine, one year older than myself.”

That’s exactly how Yunho is, even being a royal and having that naturally formal way of speaking, he’s always bright and warm, loving to talk about everything that pops up in his energetic brain. Especially since Mingi has been spending so much time with him, the prince seems to open up about his family and friends, and also about himself, not even minding the younger’s status as a gardener. Mingi himself doesn’t know how to react sometimes, but he feels more and more comfortable around Yunho every day that goes by. The prince is not like anyone he has met before, Mingi is absolutely sure about that, and if anything, he’s like one main character from the books the gardener enjoys to read.

They walk, simply talking, and Mingi just watches and smiles every time Yunho kindly greets the commoners who work for him and his companion court, and who are all over the main hallways, the only ones Mingi knew when he arrived at the castle. But now he knows more, and he’s not unfamiliar with the corridors of the more private wings of the building, the ones that are usually frequented by the lords and ladies, and Yunho himself.

A couple ladies pass by after greeting Yunho and Mingi, but the two men only stop their walking as they find a known figure sitting on the stone of the inner edge of a large window, alone, with no other soul on the hallway.

Mingi just observes the view: the orange and pink sky is getting darker and darker beyond the glass, and the young man seems to lose himself on it. His long, grey hair almost reflects the colors on itself, and his amber eyes are soft and unbothered, he seems to not mind the real world or anything that happens around him. His pearl white, almost see-through poet shirt, makes him look like a fairy or a god under the last lights of the day.

Yunho mumbles something and starts walking towards the young lord.

Mingi quietly nods and stays still, just watching how Yunho approaches the lonely shape on the window. It’s Yeosang, one of the prince’s lords, and the gardener knows for sure he’s one of Yunho’s favorite companions. They have known each other since they were kids, and while the castle’s prince is known for his good relationship with people, it’s easy to realize how much he cares about the small blonde man. Mingi knows lord Yeosang is one of his confidants, along with lord San, but Mingi doesn’t know the latter that much, since he’s always travelling.

Suddenly Mingi hears steps behind him and looks back to find another beloved member of the prince’s castle. Younger and smaller than Mingi, the young man in front of him easily stands out by his bright red hair that contrasts with the neutral light brown fabric of his uniform. Mingi smiles at Jongho, as he’s standing barely some feet apart, and the younger does the same, even if his round eyes move repeatedly from Mingi to Yeosang and vice versa.

Jongho and Yeosang have something going on between them. Mingi knows it.

The difference between the guard and the lord is crystal clear: Jongho is always in that squared, often dirty uniform, he walks with strong steps and his gaze is always moving around in a nearly intimidating way, like a watchdog, just as his job requires him to be. Yeosang is as graceful as a swan, always dressed in some of the most beautiful clothes Mingi had ever seen, and everything about the young man is tender and loving, from the shine on his eyes to his careful fingers.

Mingi likes Jongho more, he somehow feels more connected to him, a simple servant in a castle full of things he could never obtain for himself. They usually come across each other on the hallways when their working hours are over, and they always stop to chat a bit before following their paths to each of their rooms.

The guard smiles at him. “Hi.” Jongho greets in a quiet voice, probably trying to not attract attention from the two noblemen on the window.

“Hi.” he answers. “How did work go today?”

“As always, quite boring. What about your green baby?”

“If I’m not mistaken, it will bloom nicely on the Winter Ball’s midnight.” Mingi smiles back shyly, he doesn’t get to talk about his work a lot, and he’s proud of how beautifully the plants have been growing since he came into the castle.

Jongho smiles back, even when there’s tiredness in his eyes. Mingi appreciates the gesture.

Soon they’re interrupted by Yunho walking towards them, his eyes over Jongho as he greets and asks him about his day. Mingi talks a bit before he and the prince say goodbye and leave the guard to keep on his way. Jongho meets Yeosang on the window, and Mingi would swear there’s something that shines on the lord’s eyes when the younger boy stands next to him. He can’t hear them, yet he knows.

“Let’s go.” Yunho says as he keeps walking.

The room is not that far away, and they arrive pretty quickly. Yunho opens the door and enters the room, waiting for Mingi to be inside before he closes the door behind.

Mingi has been into the prince’s room many times, as it isn’t such a private or sacred place for Yunho’s friends. The nobleman has said to him he likes to keep the room alive, especially since it’s so big and has as much furniture as any studio would have, and Yunho wouldn’t know how to feel if no one visited it.

Mingi scans the room as he approaches the prince’s personal desk, where he placed a flowerpot just a few days after he arrived, the first time he visited the room. Yunho had asked him to find some plants to give the place more life and color and by now, there is a wide range of flowers, shrubs and ferns all over the room, each one in the place where Mingi knows they will grow and bloom nicely. He sometimes wonders why the prince didn’t ask his previous gardener to do it, but he’s happy he could pick everything in the place.

Once Mingi is done with the plants, Yunho takes a book from one of the shelves and they both walk towards the area of the room which acts as a tea or reading room, with couches and a sofa in front of a large fireplace that’s always blazing since it’s winter and sometimes it even snows outside.

“I’ve been thinking, Sir—”

“Once again, please don’t be so formal when we are alone. We are the same age” Yunho interrupts him.

“Yes. Why are you like this?” he asks, “I mean, you’re a prince, you have a castle and wealth, why do you lose sleep with, you know, people like me?”

“People like you are my friends, Mingi.”

“I know but you seem to have a weird taste on friends.” he says out loud without noticing, and gasps loudly when he realizes. “Sorry, I—”

“You may speak your mind freely.”

Mingi tries to get comfortable on the couch, shifting his position three or four times before he can actually rest his back on the velvet cushions. He can feel Yunho’s eyes over him at all moments, and his face is getting hotter as he can see how concentrated the prince is on him, waiting for Mingi to keep talking. He rubs his neck and sighs, thinking what he’s going to say.

“It’s just, I get you’re friends with Jongho, but why do you allow him to chase after one of your lords? Isn’t lord Yeosang out of his reach?”

Yunho smiles widely. “Jongho is a good man. He has never been anything but loyal to my family, and he has better manners than many men of other courts. No one should be out of his reach just because he’s not a nobleman.”

“But that’s not how the world works.”

“It is here.” Yunho talks with a firm tone under the kind voice, like assuring him he’s not joking. Mingi doesn’t tear his eyes away from him when he takes a seat on one of the couches and leans towards the fireplace with the book on his hand. “I have blind faith in love.” he mumbles clearly. “I want everyone in this castle to be safe and loved. If there is anything in my hands I can do for one of them to touch this piece of heaven on earth called love, I shall do it with no doubts.”

Mingi would swear there’s a special glow on the prince’s face, and stars shining inside his big, brown eyes. He can feel how heartfelt Yunho is about his words, how strongly he believes in them. 

“What about yourself then?” the gardener asks in a low voice, hoping to not be overstepping his limits.

“There will be time for me later, I am waiting.”

“Waiting for what?” Mingi’s words slip out of his mouth and he quickly shakes his head, bowing at the same time. “I’m sorry, that was rude.”

“Do not apologize, I understand the curiosity. But I’m sorry to say I’m just waiting for the right time.” Yunho smiles at him. “Some things just need more time.”

The prince keeps smiling for a couple moments, not particularly smiling at Mingi but doing it for himself. He seems to be quite reflective about it, and it makes the younger man think about his words. He would love to be able to have such ideals, and to forget about the scars that are in the depths of his chest. But he can’t, it’s too cold inside there.

Mingi sighs. “I don’t believe in that stuff.” he says in a low but smooth voice, as he calmly watches the fire. “The last time I did…” he mumbles, “It doesn’t really matter.”

“I hope one day it won’t really matter. Maybe then I will see a sincere smile on your face.” Yunho raises his hand towards Mingi and his thumb fingertip smoothly caresses the younger’s cheeks for a couple seconds before he pulls back and opens the book resting over his lap, but he doesn’t take his eyes off Mingi yet. “You are always in my thoughts. I care about you.”

Something inside of him contracts over itself as Mingi stares at the dancing flames inside the fireplace, and hears a small crack inside of him while he watches a stick being consumed by the fire. A shiver runs down his spine as lightning in a stormy sky.

֍ ֍ ֍

There are just ten days left for the Winter Ball and Mingi has been hanging out around the prince even more often. As if every day that passes they become more and more intimate with each other, and Mingi can’t deny he actually likes it. Especially in occasions like this, where the cold outside is getting harder, frost covering all the dark windows, and he has the pleasure of being huddled on one of the prince’s sofas, in front of the huge, beautifully ornate fireplace, while Yunho reads and writes letter on his fancy desk at the light of the candles. The gardener is not sure since when he is allowed to be like this around the prince of the castle, but he doesn’t feel like he needs to know anyway.

Just a couple nights before he fell asleep on the sofa and he woke up the next morning just there, his head over a smooth pillow and his body covered by some thick and extremely soft blanket. He was too embarrassed to ask Yunho about it, and the prince didn’t seem to want to remind him. It felt just natural.

Mingi can hear the low sound of the ink bottles being closed and he turns his head towards the desk, seeing how Yunho finishes sorting the letters out on the top of the desk and storing the glass bottles inside the drawer. The prince appreciates doing things by himself, and he’s always satisfied after completing his human tasks. However, when Yunho stands up from his chair and starts walking to Mingi, the gardener can see he looks a little nervous, which is quite uncommon for him. He doesn’t even know why he can tell by just watching the prince’s moves, but he does.

Mingi yawns as sits straighter on the sofa, trying to look at least a little decent and also taking a breath before standing up. The prince is in front of him, and Mingi is about to ask what has him so disrupted when Yunho speaks by himself.

“I want you as my special guest at the Ball.”

Mingi’s eyes are now wide open, and it looks as he just stopped breathing for a couple seconds. He doesn’t know what to say at first, or how to say it. The commoner never thought he would be in a situation like this one before. And it’s even harder to think of a coherent response when his heart keeps skipping beats as he repeats the other’s words in his mind. Yunho’s special guest.

“What?” he asks and looks down, his fingers playing with the dusty pants’ fabric. “I’m just a gardener.”

“If I am able to show the snow heart to my guests it’s only because of you. You deserve it.” Yunho speaks his mind with a strong but kind voice, carefully walking towards Mingi and closing the space between them, one of his hands over the gardener’s shoulder. “Also, I want you there. I want you to be by my side when the flower blooms.”

“I could never be beside a prince.”

“Mingi.” he barely whispers. “I thought we were friends, equals. Don’t you see me as one?”

He doesn’t even think as he answers: “I am a gardener. You’re a prince.”

“You are not just a gardener, Mingi.” The prince moves his hand closer to the younger’s jaw. “You are special to me, it is not the first time I state so.”

Yunho doesn’t pull away, he just stays there, with his fingers barely touching Mingi’s chin and staring at him intensely. The younger feels the climbing heat on his cheeks, but there’s something that prevents him from tearing his eyes away. The prince is so close to him, he feels his own self being engulfed by the aura that Yunho radiates, like he is about to be eaten by the warmth. He never had wings, yet he doesn’t know why is he.so scared to get closer to the sun.

“With my most sincere heart, Mingi, I’m asking you to be my guest. I won’t force you to parade in front of everyone, all I ask is… I want you to be there and enjoy the party, just walk around and eat nicely if you don’t want to talk with anyone, but I want you there.”

“I will be there.” the gardener finally says, surrendered before Yunho’s puppy eyes. “But I don’t even have proper clothes.”

The prince smiles widely and Mingi might see an excited shiver run the older’s body as he straightens his back and gives a couple steps back, allowing the commoner to regain his personal space. He sighs and smiles shyly while he sits down again and turns his eyes towards the fireplace, his heart still beating as a hammer inside of his chest. Yunho walks around the room and then sits next to him.

“Hongjoong will make you a suit.” Yunho grins before smiling sweetly, “And before you complain, as a decent prince and host, it is my responsibility to provide my special guest whatever he needs.”

Mingi’s cheeks are now burning and he’s sure they are red as the roses he makes grow at the west wing gardens. He curses quietly, and tilts his head to the side, leaning his elbow on the armrest, watching the fireplace, as it has become a custom for him by now. He tries to ignore the beating of his heart, even if it’s all he can hear.

֍ ֍ ֍

It’s three days before the Ball and Yunho has been looking a little more tired than before, even though, Mingi can only tell so by the slight dark circles that has appeared under the prince’s eyes, but his mood is bright, kind and enthusiastic as always, as if directing all the preparations didn’t affect him. The gardener helps him sometimes, checking the flowers and ornaments, as Yunho discovered Mingi has a sharp eye for visual beauty and balance, and he still wonders why no person seems to find strange the fact that he’s always with Yunho, sometimes since the dawn to the late night.

Maybe it’s because of how simple the prince is, how humble and human he is, never reminding anyone of his status. Maybe it’s because the gardener himself is the only one who’s not used to that treatment. Mingi, as any other person in the small kingdom, knows Yunho is not the crown prince, he’s the middle son and he has his own lands and castle, but he will never be a king. Maybe that’s why he has that simplicity the younger man finds so charming.

It’s past midnight, and the gardener is moving a shrub away from the heat of the fireplace, knowing if it stays closer to the flames for a couple nights more it will die. Mingi looks for a better place for the shrub, closer to the main door, and spends a couple minutes examining the windows and finding the perfect position for the pot. He rubs his hands on his pants and smiles satisfied when he’s ready.

“Mingi.” the prince calls him from the desk.

The gardener looks back at Yunho and turns around, giving a couple steps forward. “Yes?”

“Are you done?”

“I’ll just arrange the little ones.” Mingi says and smiles at the older.

There are tiny pots with small flowers all over the room, and some of them can be moved around from time to time, and Mingi absolutely adores them. He loves all the colors and the cuteness of the tiny petals, so he’s always more than pleased when he gets to play with the distribution of the pots in the prince’s room. 

The gardener goes to the corner of the room where he sometimes leaves his tools and takes a small pot that has fertile soil inside, that he uses sometimes on his already existing flowerpots, and starts walking without noticing Yunho standing up from his desk. He passes by the prince and stops, remembering he left the small shovel on the corner, and he turns around in a flash, barging his body into something and listening to a loud rumble that’s enough to frighten him and make him lose his balance as he shuts his eyes closed.

Mingi needs a couple seconds to figure out what just happened. He opens his eyes after the loud noise and the first he sees is the pieces of the broken pot all over the place, surrounded and covered by earth and mud. Then he realizes he’s about to fall to the ground, if it wasn’t for the strong arm around his waist that’s holding his weight enough for his own legs to not fail. His eyes travel over the prince’s body as he lifts his chin until he meets Yunho’s shy smile.

Mingi nearly curses. “Oh my— I’m so sorry.” his voice comes out in a hurry, his whole being panicking about what to do and where to move.

Before he decides anything, Yunho straightens his back and then Mingi is being pulled against the prince’s body as the older boy helps him to get up and makes him place his feet firmly on the ground again, but his brain stops working for a long second. He almost closes his eyes again. Yunho is warm, so incredibly warm, against his own self. Mingi also has his hands over the nobleman’s arms, yet his grasp is weak, a little shy, as he isn’t sure about letting Yunho’s go or just staying still like his inner voice tells him. He can also feel the prince’s hand resting over his lower back, almost touching his hips.

Mingi lowers his head and gives a step back, putting extra effort to keep his balance and avoid another accident, too embarrassed to look at the prince. He tries to think what to do and he decides that he should fix the mess he made on the room’s floor. Mingi is about to kneel on the floor to clean the soil when he feels Yunho’s hand over his belly.

“It’s okay, I’ll ask someone to clean it tomorrow.”

“I think I have to go.”

“No, please. Stay.” Yunho speaks highly, and Mingi can’t help but look at the prince’s gaze, resembling a puppy’s eyes, so genuinely asking.

Yunho walks around the room with light steps and opens the beautifully carved doors of the huge, old and probably insanely expensive closet he keeps inside the room, he stays examining the inside and finally takes some pieces of clothing on his hands. The nobleman leaves one piece over his bed as he holds the other one, and then looks back at Mingi, but he just smiles and stays quiet as he takes the dirty shirt off. He hasn’t been told to turn around, and he doesn’t pull his eyes away from Yunho’s strong back until he’s done replacing the shirt with a new, clean one. He takes again the clothes he had left over the bed and walks towards the younger man, stopping in front of Mingi.

“Please, let me.”

He doesn’t need more words, so Mingi nods, only a little hesitant, and grabs the end of his shirt to take it off, breathing deeply before the prince comes close to him. Yunho has skilled hands and the way he wraps the shirt’s arms and back around Mingi is somehow hypnotizing. Mingi tends to immerse himself in one sensation, one view, and he just forgets everything that’s beyond it, and right now he can’t see anything but the calm face and the hands of the prince moving in front of him.

Mingi can see the way Yunho’s eyes move over the buttons of the shirt, not minding the skin under the piece of fabric. He knows how thoughtful the prince is with him, and he knows he would never do anything that made the younger uncomfortable. And it’s not long before Yunho finishes, fixing the collar of the shirt and taking his eyes off the clothes to look at Mingi himself, smiling at him. The prince reaches and strokes Mingi’s cheek carefully, as if the younger man could break under his touch, and the gardener blinks twice before he can actually go back to reality, finally taking his eyes away from the prince’s hands and looking at him as a whole. Suddenly, he can feel his heart beating inside his throat and his mind goes blank. Yunho is kneeling in front of him, his eyes focused so on Mingi.

“I do not mind the dirt, but the mud is wet and the air is too cold.” the prince says and smiles at him before standing up and sweetly patting his golden head.

Mingi knows soil and mud more than anyone, it would have dried down in a couple minutes in front of the fireplace. He doesn’t want to think about it, but if Yunho keeps being so caring and loving with him for no reason at all, he’s absolutely sure the prince will be the death of him someday.

֍ ֍ ֍

Mingi has been wandering around the side hallways next to the ballroom since one cute lady from one of Yunho’s friends asked him to dance and the gardener panicked out of the event. He’s not really shy, or that’s what he tells himself to find comfort, he just doesn’t know how to dance and he doesn’t want to embarrass the lady in front of her friends. But he also mumbles cursing words as he walks with no particular direction. He doesn’t even know where Yunho is, among the about one hundred and fifty people in the Ball, and while he knows he’s probably doing important stuff with important people, he still feels a little down about not being able to find him.

He’s passing by a particularly lonely, narrow corridor for the third time when he starts and stops his walking, surprised by the sight of a familiar redhead and the sound of his known voice. Mingi peeks out the wall, protected by the darkness of the hallway, since he wants to know if he can go to talk with the guard without being seen by other guests. It’s another surprise when he notices the younger man is not alone.

Jongho is a few inches apart from the hallway wall, and he’s standing next to a sculpture and close to a strangely placed banquet table, he’s observing the ballroom, also hidden by the darkness of the corridor that allows him to monitor the event properly, far away from any spotlight. But as Mingi can see, he’s not alone, Yeosang is next to him, emotionally caressing the guard’s shoulder as he grabs a snack from the plate sitting on the table close to them. He scans the piece and brings it over Jongho’s face, in a smooth manner.

“Yeosang,” the guard talks, “I can’t.”

“It’s not sweet, you will like it.”

Mingi remembers Jongho had told him about his genuine dislike for sweet foods, and he thinks it is kind of cute how the lord cares about him. And Jongho must think it’s cute too, because he sighs and accepts the offering, allowing Yeosang to gently push the snack into his mouth. Jongho chews and swallows without moving the rest of his body a single inch, and the nobleman smiles, tugging affectively the fabric around his forearm. Yeosang then leans forward, connecting his lips with the guard’s for a brief moment before Jongho can complain with a low growl. The lord pushes back, smiling satisfied but somehow shy about it. Mingi thinks they’re a loving pair.

“You should not spy other people.”

Mingi feels his heart stop and he flinches, taking a little jump and nearly running into the wall. He leans a hand on the wall and turns back quickly, trying to keep his breath under control and calm his now accelerated heart.

“Prince Yunho.” he mumbles nervously, “I was just—”

“Yes, of course.” the nobleman says in a comic way and tilts his head towards the other side of the corridor. “Shall we take a walk together? I prefer to let them have some privacy.”

Mingi nods his head repeatedly trying to distract himself and trying again to make his nervous heart calm down. He follows Yunho as the taller boy starts walking to the couple’s opposite direction. The gardener catches his pace and walks next to him, looking at the prince with curious eyes. “Since when…?”

“Two years by now.” Yunho answers, “I’m quite surprised Jongho didn’t tell you.”

Yunho seems to know where they’re going, or at least that’s the impression Mingi has based on the way the prince walks, slightly firmer and faster than he takes recreational walks or he doesn’t have anything important to attend. And he just follows Yunho wherever the nobleman plans to take him, Mingi doesn’t care that much, he has become so familiar with him and he just enjoys his presence. And of course at the middle of the way he realizes where they are heading to, the central gardens, where the snow heart is close to bloom. It’s almost midnight, and the whole garden is illuminated as if it was a clear day, displaying all types of nocturnal flowers in between the beautiful dark greens.

“I thought you had important things to do.”

“I just had a nice talk with Seonghwa.” he starts talking, “But my dear friend decided that flirting with my tailor was more important than me, so I left. They do this every time Seonghwa comes to visit me.” Yunho explains, slightly shivering when they leave the hallway to start walking towards the center of the snow-covered garden. “I was looking for you, but lady Jiwoo told me you ran away from her.”

Mingi gasps at the realization. “I’m sorry, I—”

“Do not worry, Jiwoo was quite amused by your response, and she loves to laugh.”

The younger man imagines the girl brightly laughing while telling Yunho where to find him, and he feels his face heating up because of the embarrassment.

Once they get to the center of the garden, where a beautiful gazebo surrounds the snow heart plant, Mingi instinctively checks the soil and the leaves to be sure the green being is in a good condition. He asks Yunho for the time, because he knows it’s almost time, and some curious guests appear behind them. Not all of them are there, but the rest are waiting for the flower to be already in full glory.

Mingi is a little nervous.

The minutes go on, and there is a good amount of people around the plant. Mingi feels his heart shaking inside of his chest, his eyes travel nervously over the small crowd and the prince next to him, as the only flower is there, awaiting.

He holds his breath as the clock strikes midnight, and the flower is still there, motionless. Mingi’s heart is so tight he feels like it will implode.

The closed flower remains still, for one, five, ten minutes it remains there, and Mingi is just as immobile as the flower. The people behind him share a ripple and the gardener just wants to cry, he has been taking care of the plant for months, preparing it for this moment, and now, nothing. His face is stone cold, and he drops to his knees in the middle of the snow. His hands are fists over his thighs, and he can’t even lift his chin, his eyes fixed on the ground.

The world is suddenly frozen again. He failed, once again; and even worse, he disappointed Yunho. Mingi feels the tears starting to burst from the corner of his eyes, and the cold breeze that makes his bones shiver threatens with turning his tears on ice.

His heart is getting heavier. Around him, there’s just a glimpse of underwhelm, but everyone there is Yunho’s people and they know better, half quietly half excited, the party attendees take their turns through the majestic doors and go back inside the ballroom, where the music starts playing again, and Mingi hears the life returning to the castle like an echo through the stone walls, too far from him to feel it. Yunho hasn’t left the ballroom yet; and Mingi can’t yet process what just happened, the world around him blurry and motionless. He stays quiet for a couple minutes, staring at the flower that has yet to bloom. The gardener has many questions and worries, and he just lets himself fall down, slowly getting into his knees until he is sitting on his heels, and his hands, full of tiny scars, rest over his thighs in fists. Mingi feels the tears running down his cheeks, falling over his clothes, he can feel the coldness. He’s too embarrassed to look at the prince standing next to him.

“I’m so sorry.” it’s all he can say.

Yunho slowly knees down next to him, and proceeds to sit next to the gardener. His legs are crossed and the brown snow of the floor is more likely than not dirting the expensive fabric of his pants. Mingi wants to ask him to go back to his important event, but the words just don’t align into his mind.

“I don’t know why—” he tries to talk, but he can’t finish the idea. “I’m so sorry.”

Mingi feels he’s going to throw up his own heart, he can’t be sorry enough. Yunho softly rocks his legs and he looks for the younger’s eyes, and even if Mingi is not looking back at him, he can sense the gaze over his body, and he can hear when the prince sighs in that really specific tone he has before he talks.

A warm hand rests over his own. “It doesn’t really matter.” Yunho’s voice is smooth and sweet like honey, and it melts through Mingi’s ears. “I have found in you something way more precious than a simple flower.”

The time stops, and Mingi’s eyes are wide open, his lips unconsciously parted. He hears a whisper on his chest, a silent vibration, a quiet crack.

“I know it will bloom someday. Some things just need more time.” Yunho sweetly caresses the back of his hand. “I will wait.”

Mingi feels some new tears overflowing his eyes when he turns his neck and lets his eyes find the prince’s gaze. A genuine, bright and understanding smile on Yunho’s face, there’s no trace of any disappointment on him. Mingi feels his heart begging to escape out of his chest; his heart, bruised as the rest of him, too shy and quiet, the fragile sprout hidden on the deep of his flesh, surrounded by the ice of the last storm for so long. He knows. Because even if the exact words are missing, they both know. The messy thread that has been entangling around itself is no longer an unsolved puzzle, and both of them can see where it begins and where it ends, the invisible string that pulls them closer to each other until there’s no room for anything in between.

“I shall wait until my last breath for you, Mingi.”

The frigid ice falls apart, the sound of the fragments breaking against the stairs of his ribs, melting from inside. For once, Mingi doesn’t feel the wind passing by and pulling up his weak, newborn stem. There has been this latent calm sitting on his chest since the day before. And now, the dormant bulb has started to grow again. Yunho’s eyes are dark, but they radiate an infinite warmth, and he just can’t look away.

A pulse, another pulse, another one. He closes his eyes for an ephemeral moment, and his heart takes a second to breathe, he feels another pulse, the last one he needs, and the blossoming all his petals, crimson and bright, staring at the sun that brought it to life. Mingi’s eyes open again, hypnotized by the energy that bursts from the prince’s body and engulfs his own.

“I like you, Mingi.”

Yunho leans closer, their faces about to touch, and the next thing the younger knows, the prince’s soft lips are colliding against his own, and soon they’re sealed over each other. A warm hand caresses the back of his neck, and Mingi shivers at the touch. Yunho is an amazing kisser, and the gardener is ready to forget about the rest of the world in order to focus on the prince and nothing else. His hands even dare to rest over Yunho’s leg and chest as he leans forward, his eager lips looking for more contact. Maybe he is losing his mind, but he already feels like he can’t get enough of that mouth. The prince pulls away first and Mingi feels the slight startle under his touch.

“Mingi. The flower.”

The gardener pulls his eyes away from Yunho and looks at the flower in front of them. His mouth falls open, and he can’t help but gasp loudly before leaning towards the plant, his hands carelessly against the freezing floor. Yet he doesn’t mind, his full attention over the flower that shyly blooms in front of their eyes: The petals are so thin and fragile, they don’t even look like a real flower. Every petal looks like the most beautiful crystal Mingi has ever seen, there are blue and yellow reflections and sparks all over the nearly translucent petals. If he didn’t make the plant grow himself, Mingi, as a qualified gardener, would never believe something like this actually exists.

He can’t stop smiling. Jongho and Yeosang, who never left, are the first people to get closer and see after the prince and Mingi himself, they stay some time in silence, in awe; and then they congrat the gardener for his work.

Yunho smiles at him again and holds his hand tighter, leaning forward and kissing the younger man on his cheek.

“I guess we are just in time.”

֍ ֍ ֍

Mingi has been in Yunho’s room so many times before he thought he completely knew it, but now it’s different. The strong, large candelabras that usually make the room extremely bright even in the night are replaced with the dim light of the candles that are strategically positioned to allow them to walk safely and distinguish every item in the room from each other. He never saw the bed from this close either; as he sits down on the mattress, he thinks about how he has never felt the softness of the velvet under his touch before, and about how the bed is even larger than he thought, probably the largest one he has ever seen.

Yunho kneels on the floor to take his and Mingi’s shoes off, and the younger man can’t help but smile at him. Once the prince is done, Mingi moves to the center of the mattress, waiting for his lover to come find him.

As he expected, Yunho releases the last silk curtain from its pole and Mingi appreciates how the light is being diffused around their bodies. The prince gently crawls over the bed, pushing the younger’s shoulders down into the mattress and placing himself over Mingi to join their lips together in a needy kiss. The smaller man breathes heavily and whines when he feels Yunho’s hand moving over his torso, taking the jacket off and throwing it away, looking for the collar of his dark blue shirt. Just as some nights before the prince buttoned up his shirt for him, now he unbuttons it, and he’s also quite skilled at doing so. Mingi arches his back to help the older to take the shirt off, and the slightly cold air clashes against his already heated skin, making him shiver.

Yunho takes a moment to appreciate the view, Mingi’s body is well-built, his waist is small and while he’s not as athletic as the prince, he’s strong and his muscles are nicely developed thanks to his job. The prince licks his own lips as he gets closer to the younger, he kisses him briefly and then goes down to his neck. Mingi whines as he feels a heat wave running across his body.

“You are so beautiful.” Yunho kisses the side of his jaw, right under his ear. “All of you.” And he kisses his neck, weakly sucking a mark on the tender skin. “Wherever I look, it’s all perfect.”

Mingi quietly sighs as Yunho’s lips find a nice spot at the end of his neck, close to his collarbone. The older boy’s hand is resting over his bare belly, just right over the place where the fire starts roaring.

“Yunho.” he whimpers, his hands gripping the prince’s shirt. “Your clothes.”

“I know.”

The prince pulls away and starts taking his clothes off, and as Mingi watches him pulling his pants down, he imitates him. The gardener thinks a couple seconds before getting rid of his underwear, and he feels the embarrassment all over his face when he finally does it.

Yunho turns around, already fully naked, and silently asks Mingi for permission to get closer again, probably noticing how Mingi is too nervous about his own nudity. The blonde man nods and smiles, reaching Yunho’s hand and shyly squeezing it in an encouragement gesture. The prince then crawls closer again, and Mingi swallows hard when he sees Yunho’s hard cock. He doesn’t need to measure them to know he is huge, about one inch larger than Mingi, who isn’t by any means small or even average. But he doesn’t have time to think about it either, opening his arms and receiving the prince with a shy smile on his lips.

First they keep kissing, a little shy at the beginning and becoming bolder and needier with the time. They test the waters and use a lubricant oil to heat up their bodies from the cold winter air, Mingi lets Yunho’s hands explore his body and he does the same with the peach haired man, the whole room filled with pleasure sighs.

When they move forward, Mingi’s touch isn’t truly shy, but it’s just slow and hesitant at first. He knows how to hold the prince’s cock on his hand, and he knows how to. He feels Yunho’s fingertips rubbing the top of his dick, and his whole body shudders under the prince, a low moan filling the room. The older’s touch is more eager, yet a little too rough and maybe clumsy. Mingi kisses him sweetly and helps him to position his hand in a gentler way.

Yunho’s hand is so big he can take Mingi’s cock so easily, and the younger man just moans softly as he feels the slippery warmth wrapping his dick. He tries to pick up the same pace with Yunho, but his hands are smaller and the prince’s cock is considerably larger than his own, making it harder for him.

“Let me.” he asks.

Mingi tilts his head back into the pillow and pulls his hand away from the prince’s dick. He looks down when he feels Yunho’s hands gripping his hips, and he spreads his legs pliant, allowing the nobleman to place himself in between them and helping to accommodate both of their bodies in a comfortable position. Yunho grips his own cock and rubs it with Mingi’s, making the younger to moan again, feeling a little overwhelmed as the other puts their dicks together. The prince wraps one of his hands around both of them, and starts pumping them up right away.

Mingi whimpers and softly moves his hips to make the moves more fluid and so Yunho doesn’t have to focus that much on his hand. The heat runs through his skin, his chest pressed against the older’s chest and their whole bodies entangling around each other.

“You’re so good, Mingi.” Yunho groans in his ear as he keeps stroking their hard dicks. “So good for me.”

As Yunho’s hands are slightly larger than Mingi’s and his fingers are longer, he can wrap both of their cocks together with one hand almost effortlessly. The blonde lets a low growl escape from his lips when the prince rolls his hips and rubs his cock against his. Mingi is really loud, his growls are low and his whimpers are high, and his cheeks blush even more when he listens to himself being noisy.

“God, you’re so cute.”

The younger man smiles at his words, not because of the compliment but because Yunho’s voice gets more breathy and broken as they both get closer to their orgasm, and now he sounds almost desperate, and Mingi is sure it’s the cutest thing he has ever heard in his life. His fingers entangle on the prince’s hair, slightly pulling it as he roughly rolls his hips seeking for more pleasure. Yunho groans at the move, joining Mingi and grinding against the younger’s body.

“I’m close.” Mingi groans.

“Me too—” Yunho lets a broken moan escape through his lips, “Shall we do it together?”

Mingi’s head goes blank as he feels a shiver running down his spine, the heat on his belly waving through his flesh and skin. He squirms against the older’s body and cums just a few seconds before Yunho, as he listens to the broken whines that leave the prince’s mouth when he reaches his climax, both of their seeds being spilled over their bellies and chests, and of course into the prince’s hand.

The heavy breathing is all they hear as Mingi cleans both of them with a silk towel, before they cuddle under the sheets, looking for warmth on each other’s body. Mingi rests his head over Yunho’s shoulder, and one of his legs is secured in between the prince’s legs.

“I love you so much, did you know that?” Mingi wonders out loud, rubbing his nose on the taller’s neck.

Yunho secures his arm around the younger’s waist and pulls him even closer to his body. The nobleman caresses his head carefully, leaving some kisses over his forehead and his cheeks before he looks right into his eyes.

“How could I not?” Yunho asks and he snuggles with Mingi, kissing his lips. “My beautiful flower.”

֍ ֍ ֍

**Author's Note:**

> By the way, I’m so sorry for the way Yunho speaks, I wanted to make it fancier but I’m not that skilled at English to really achieve something like that. And as a fun fact, I think this is the most plot I’ve written yet, so I’m sorry if I don’t make much sense and I don’t have any sense of pacing.  
> Once again, Happy Holidays and I hope you liked it.


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